Lesson 83: Doctrine and Covenants 71–75

Doctrinal Mastery Practice 5

Memorizing and Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge

a painting of the prodigal son’s return

Doctrinal mastery can help students build their foundation upon Jesus Christ and His gospel. This lesson gives students opportunities to memorize doctrinal mastery references and their key scripture phrases as well as learn and apply divine principles for acquiring spiritual knowledge.

Possible Learning Activities

Doctrinal mastery review: memorize

Think of times in your life when memorizing information was helpful in accomplishing a task.

• How has memorizing information blessed your life?

• In what situations might you benefit from having some scripture references memorized?

The following activity is one way to help students memorize doctrinal mastery references and key scripture phrases. Additional memorization ideas are found in the appendix under “Doctrinal Mastery Review Activities.” The memorization activity you choose should not take more than 10–15 minutes so you have time for the doctrinal mastery practice application.

Divide students into small groups and print a copy of the following chart for each group. Invite groups to cut out each reference and key phrase separately. Have students mix up the references and key phrases and then work as a group to match them back together as quickly as they can. Groups could repeat this activity multiple times to see if they can match them more quickly with each attempt.

Doctrinal mastery scripture reference	Key scripture phrase
Doctrinal mastery scripture reference Joseph Smith—History 1:15–20	Key scripture phrase Joseph Smith “saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description.”
Doctrinal mastery scripture reference Doctrine and Covenants 1:30	Key scripture phrase “The only true and living church.”
Doctrinal mastery scripture reference Doctrine and Covenants 1:37–38	Key scripture phrase “Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.”
Doctrinal mastery scripture reference Doctrine and Covenants 6:36	Key scripture phrase “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.”
Doctrinal mastery scripture reference Doctrine and Covenants 8:2–3	Key scripture phrase “I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost.”
Doctrinal mastery scripture reference Doctrine and Covenants 13:1	Key scripture phrase The Aaronic Priesthood “holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism.”
Doctrinal mastery scripture reference Doctrine and Covenants 18:10–11	Key scripture phrase “The worth of souls is great in the sight of God.”
Doctrinal mastery scripture reference Doctrine and Covenants 18:15–16	Key scripture phrase “How great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!”
Doctrinal mastery scripture reference Doctrine and Covenants 19:16–19	Key scripture phrase “I, [Jesus Christ], have suffered these things for all.”
Doctrinal mastery scripture reference Doctrine and Covenants 21:4–6	Key scripture phrase The prophet’s “word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth.”
Doctrinal mastery scripture reference Doctrine and Covenants 29:10–11	Key scripture phrase “I will reveal myself from heaven with power and great glory … and dwell in righteousness with men on earth a thousand years.”
Doctrinal mastery scripture reference Doctrine and Covenants 49:15–17	Key scripture phrase “Marriage is ordained of God.”
Doctrinal mastery scripture reference Doctrine and Covenants 58:42–43	Key scripture phrase “He who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven.”
Doctrinal mastery scripture reference Doctrine and Covenants 64:9–11	Key scripture phrase “Of you it is required to forgive all men.”

Applying principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge

The rest of the lesson is focused on helping students apply the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge to a real-life situation. Before reading the situation below, consider inviting students to review the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge. Suggested review activities are included in the appendix under “Doctrinal Mastery Review Activities.” You can find descriptions of the principles in paragraphs 5–12 of the “Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge” section of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2023).

This practice application scenario is based on an experience that Sister Kristin M. Yee, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, shared in general conference. If helpful, you could use a different scenario about forgiveness to better fit the needs of your students.

Sister Kristin M. Yee, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, shared the following personal experience.

Sister Kristin M. Yee

I have personally witnessed the miracle of Christ healing my warring heart. With permission of my father, I share that I grew up in a home where I didn’t always feel safe because of emotional and verbal mistreatment. In my youth and young adult years, I resented my father and had anger in my heart from that hurt. (Kristin M. Yee, “Beauty for Ashes: The Healing Path of Forgiveness,” Liahona, Nov. 2022, 37)

Take a moment to think about how it might have felt to experience Sister Yee’s situation. Think about what you might have done if you faced a similar situation.

As we study what Sister Yee did, consider what lessons you can learn from her experience. Pay particular attention to how she applied the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge and how the Savior helped her.

Distribute the accompanying handout to students. Consider displaying the following questions on the board for students to refer to as they study Sister Yee’s talk. Encourage students to consider additional ways a person in a similar situation could apply the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge.

• What did Sister Yee do to act in faith? How did the Savior help her?

• What did Sister Yee do to see her situation in the context of the plan of salvation and the teachings of the Savior?

• What divinely appointed sources did Sister Yee rely on? How did these sources help her gain understanding or perspective about her situation?

Consider using one of the following ideas to help students identify how Sister Yee applied the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge:

• Determine as a class some distinctive ways to mark how Sister Yee applied each principle of acquiring spiritual knowledge. For example, you could underline one principle, box another, and circle another. You could also use different colors to mark each principle. Invite students to study the remainder of the handout, looking for and marking examples of each principle.

• Assign students or groups of students a different principle of acquiring spiritual knowledge. As they study Sister Yee’s talk, invite them to write down what she did to apply that principle.

• Rather than using the handout, you could show the video of Sister Yee’s talk. Invite students to listen for ways she used the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge. Students could raise their hand when they hear examples, and you could pause the video and have them share what they found.

Beauty for Ashes: The Healing Path of Forgiveness

Sister Kristin M. Yee

Over the years and in my efforts to find peace and healing on the path of forgiveness, I came to realize in a profound way that the same Son of God who atoned for my sins is the same Redeemer who will also save those who have deeply hurt me. I could not truly believe the first truth without believing the second.

As my love for the Savior has grown, so has my desire to replace hurt and anger with His healing balm. It has been a process of many years, requiring courage, vulnerability, perseverance, and learning to trust in the Savior’s divine power to save and heal. I still have work to do, but my heart is no longer on a warpath. I have been given “a new heart” [Ezekiel 36:26]—one that has felt the deep and abiding love of a personal Savior, who stayed beside me, who gently and patiently led me to a better place, who wept with me, who knew my sorrow. …

Elder Richard G. Scott said: “You cannot erase what has been done, but you can forgive. Forgiveness heals terrible, tragic wounds, for it allows the love of God to purge your heart and mind of the poison of hate. It cleanses your consciousness of the desire for revenge. It makes place for the purifying, healing, restoring love of the Lord” [“Healing the Tragic Scars of Abuse,” Ensign, May 1992, 33].

My earthly father has also had a miraculous change of heart in recent years and has turned to the Lord—something I wouldn’t have anticipated in this life. Another testimony to me of the complete and transformative power of Jesus Christ.

I know He is able to heal the sinner and those sinned against. He is the Savior and the Redeemer of the world, who laid down His life that we might live again. He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” [Luke 4:18; emphasis added].

To all who are brokenhearted, captive, bruised, and perhaps blinded by hurt or sin, He offers healing, recovery, and deliverance. I testify that that healing and recovery He offers is real. The timing of that healing is individual, and we cannot judge another’s timing. It is important to allow ourselves the necessary time to heal and to be kind to ourselves in the process. The Savior is ever merciful and attentive and stands ready to provide the succor we need.

On the path of forgiveness and healing lies a choice not to perpetuate unhealthy patterns or relationships in our families or elsewhere. To all within our influence, we can offer kindness for cruelty, love for hate, gentleness for abrasiveness, safety for distress, and peace for contention.

To give what you have been denied is a powerful part of divine healing possible through faith in Jesus Christ. To live in such a way that you give, as Isaiah has said, beauty for the ashes of your life [see Isaiah 61:3] is an act of faith that follows the supreme example of a Savior who suffered all that He might succor all. …

I testify that the greatest example of love and forgiveness is that of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who in bitter agony said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” [Luke 23:34]. (Kristin M. Yee, “Beauty for Ashes: The Healing Path of Forgiveness,” Liahona, Nov. 2022, 37–38)

After students share what they found, invite them to identify relevant doctrinal mastery passages and explain how these passages could help someone in this type of situation. Some examples include Doctrine and Covenants 6:36 and Doctrine and Covenants 64:9–11.

• How did it help you to study an example of someone using the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge in an experience they faced?

• How can using these principles help you in situations you face?

Supplemental Learning Activity

Alternate scenario

Read the following scenario to help students practice applying the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge to the doctrine of keeping the Sabbath day holy (see Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–12). Consider adapting the scenario to better meet the needs and circumstances of your students.

“Matt’s father got a new job that required his family to move. They moved to a city next to a beautiful beach. Soon after moving, Matt’s family decided to regularly spend Sundays having family time at the beach rather than attending church and partaking of the sacrament.”

After reading the scenario, you could ask students to identify which principle of acquiring spiritual knowledge they think best applies to this situation. You could then discuss the principle that most students identified. Consider giving students a few minutes to review the paragraphs in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document that correspond with the principle selected. Then lead a discussion on how Matt could apply this principle in his situation.

Beauty for Ashes: The Healing Path of Forgiveness